Best Young Teachers In America 2016-'17

It used to be that promising young instructors would look to learn their craft under the wing of a guru. Think Mr. Miyagi. If those hopefuls made it through the formative years—picking the range, raking practice bunkers, setting up drill stations—they'd eventually glean enough expertise from the master to command a lesson tee. For sure, some teachers still take that route, but with the digitization of teaching materials and advances like launch monitors and motion-capture systems, the path to instruction proficiency can be taken at light speed. Here we recognize 100 instructors under the age of 40 who form a special group: Golf Digest's Best Young Teachers in America.

To assemble candidates for this honor, we tapped every knowledgeable source we could find, from tour players to PGA sections nationwide to teachers on our state and national rankings. Then we surveyed the nominees, picked their brains and listened to their mentors and students. We looked at their accomplishments, their desire to learn, their day-to-day teaching successes—and yes, their YouTube videos. We studied their personal stories. Eventually we arrived at our list, with 71 new teachers from New York to Miami to Pebble Beach to Honolulu.

The Golf Digest Best Young Teachers franchise began in 2010, but this time we've expanded the list and categorized the teachers into six regions: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and West. We hope this makes it easier for you to connect with a great young pro. For starters, we offer here a sampling of tips from the honorees.

As Gary Player wrote in Golf Digest in 2011: "The best traits of young people—their optimism, curiosity, alertness and energy—are contagious and will definitely make you feel younger." And, if we might add, will definitely improve your golf game.

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